Silver Spoon c. 1936

Charlotte Winter’s ‘Silver Spoon’ is a pencil drawing which meticulously studies its subject, carefully building up tone through subtle gradations. It’s amazing how the humble pencil can evoke such a range of values, from the brightest highlights to the softest shadows. The drawing has a cool, almost scientific quality, and I get a strong sense of the artist closely observing this everyday object. I’m really drawn to the way Winter captures the reflective quality of the spoon's surface. See how the light seems to glide across the metal? The artist uses the pencil in a really economic way here, with the barest of marks building up to suggest the form of the spoon. It reminds me a little of Vija Celmins' meticulous drawings of everyday objects, there's a similar attention to detail and a quiet sense of contemplation. But here, there’s something more, a sense of the spoon’s history and use. It shows how something seemingly simple can hold so much beauty and meaning.